Let Desire Lead the Way: A Yogic Approach to Following What Lights You Up

Every year around this time, we’re bombarded with the same familiar messages: “Set your goals!” “Crush the year ahead!” “New Year, new you!” And honestly… no thank you.

I don’t know about you, but resolutions have always felt a bit like homework—something I should do rather than something I genuinely want. They often pull us into our heads, into pressure, into performance. And they rarely leave room for the most powerful guide we have available to us: desire.

The kind of desire that comes from deep inside.
The kind that feels like a spark.
The kind that says, Yes… that.

In yoga, we have a beautiful word for this: sankalpa—a heart-based intention, the promise we make to our truest self. Not to fix ourselves, not to become more worthy, not to chase a result, but to live more fully aligned with what lights us up.

And that’s exactly what I want to explore today: how to let desire—not discipline, not resolutions—lead the way.

My 25-Year Journey with Heart’s Desire

Before I ever taught a single yoga class or recorded a single meditation, I was a seeker. A deep listener. A life-long student of intuition.

More than 25 years ago, I picked up Sonia Choquette’s book Diary of a Psychic—long before intuition and energy work became mainstream. Something in her voice resonated. It was honest, grounded, wildly human… and it nudged open a door in me.

Then came her book Your Heart’s Desire—a workbook-style guide that gently asks you to peel back the layers, get honest with yourself, and reconnect with what you truly want to create in your life. Not what you think you should want. Not what the world tells you is practical. But what your heart whispers.

I return to that book again and again, like a friend who always reminds me:
You get to design your life.
You are in conversation with your desires.
You are allowed to follow what feels like joy.

And every time I dive back in, I’m struck by how aligned her teachings are with yogic philosophy—especially the concept of sankalpa.

Sankalpa: A Yogic Way of Saying “Your Heart’s Desire”

A sankalpa isn’t a resolution.
It’s not even really a goal.

A sankalpa is a sacred vow to your highest self.
It’s a statement that expresses the essence of who you’re becoming.

Resolutions come from “fixing.”
Sankalpa comes from remembering.

Resolutions say: I need to improve.
Sankalpa says: I already contain what I seek.

Resolutions are loud and heady.
Sankalpa is quiet and trustworthy.

Most importantly:
A sankalpa doesn’t force you forward.
It pulls you forward — through desire, devotion, and alignment.

When you follow desire, you’re guided by something deeper than motivation. You’re following a current. A pulse. A knowing.

Desire is Sacred (Not Shallow)

Somewhere along the way, the word desire became tangled up with selfishness or indulgence. But in yoga—and in spiritual practice in general—desire is often the first sign of divine guidance.

Desire shows you where your energy wants to flow.
Desire is your intuition speaking in a language your body understands.
Desire is the soul tugging your sleeve saying, This is your path.

When you feel drawn toward something—teaching yoga, starting a creative project, deepening your practice, moving your body more, resting more, speaking your truth, helping others—that pull is not random. It’s purposeful.

Desire is the spark.
Sankalpa is the flame.

One lights you up; the other sustains the glow.

What Lights You Up? Really.

Let me ask you something boldly:
When’s the last time you let yourself want what you want?

Not what’s reasonable.
Not what’s productive.
Not what fits neatly into a planner.

But what feels delicious?
Alive?
True?

Maybe it’s:

✨ More time on your mat
✨ More quiet mornings
✨ Creating something beautiful
✨ Traveling
✨ Teaching
✨ Writing
✨ Resting
✨ Connecting with people who nourish you
✨ Falling back in love with your own life

Desire doesn’t have to be grand.
Sometimes it’s as simple as, I want to feel more spacious inside my own day.

Your sankalpa arises from that place.
The place where want meets wisdom.

How to Begin Listening for Your Sankalpa

This practice is simple, and it can unfold in a moment or over several days.

1. Get still.
Sit, breathe, soften. Let your mind settle. Your intuition needs quiet to speak.

2. Ask gently:
What do I truly desire right now?
Where is my energy naturally pulling me?

3. Feel for resonance—not pressure.
Your sankalpa won’t feel heavy.
It will feel expansive, warm, alive.

4. Let it take the form of a statement.
A sankalpa is often expressed as “I am…” or “I embody…” or “I move toward…”

Examples:
✨ I am aligned with my heart’s wisdom.
✨ I honor my desire to move, rest, and create.
✨ I trust my intuitive guidance.
✨ I move toward what lights me up.

The exact words matter less than the feeling behind them.

This Year, No Resolutions Needed

You don’t need a resolution for the New Year.
You don’t need to push or force or hustle your way into the next chapter.
You don’t need to fix what was never broken.

You simply need to listen inward.
Your desire will do the rest.

When you let desire lead, life begins to feel less like a to-do list and more like an unfolding.
More like a conversation with something greater.
More like a path you’re walking with presence rather than pressure.

This is the yogic way.
This is sankalpa.
This is the wisdom you already carry.

So instead of asking, What should I do this year?
Maybe try asking, What does my heart want now?

And let that become your compass.